Received Audreys letter yesterday and that is
about all the mail I have had for a few days. It
is rather slow in coming through lately. I imagine
the APO's are all mixed up on the mail
situation because of this deployment program.
Well I guess I won't have to worry much about
it. I probably will have the same address a
year from now. If I only knew I would feel
better about the whole deal.
Yesterday was my beginning of my fourth
year in the army. It really doesn't seem as if
it was that long ago. Now I will be wearing
a hash mark on my left sleeve to denote
three years of service completed and this gives
me 5% increase in pay. I will be drawing
$20. a month now while over seas.
In Audrey's letter she said, she would
probably be in the hospital by now. I hope
everything is ok and I probably am uncle again.
From her letter I see Ruth King has had
a little misunderstanding with her Willie. What
went wrong, do you know? I suppose she is
unhappy about it. I wrote Irene a nice long
letter the other day. I told her all about my
trip over here and just like I wrote your
letter. By the paper I see where Irma is
with her husband so I don't know if Irene
is living at the same place or not. I sent her
letter in care of her folks. Do you ever hear
anything about her anymore.
I guess they sure are giving them hell over
there in the Pacific. I sure hope they do.
Seems so they would sure want to quit. I
guess they would surrender if it wasn't for the
unconditional part of it. I think the US will leave
it just as it is. Germany finally excepted it though.
Well I guess this will have to be a letter for
now. I am leaving for a 3 day pass in Paris
this week. It begins the 13th. Wish it was going
to be at home instead. So long for now.
Love Ralph.
The next letter will be posted on June 18th.
Background Information (and comments):
- Ruth King was a neighbor. Someone else will have to tell me who Willie is.
- Here's what I found about the troop situation in Europe at this time:
When the war ended in Europe on May 8, 1945, the ETOUSA headquarters was located in Versailles, France, just outside Paris. As Eisenhower and his staff began to prepare for the occupation of Germany, the ETOUSA headquarters staff moved to Frankfurt, Germany, and co-located with the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces and the Office of Military Government, United States. ETOUSA was re-designated as U.S. Forces, European Theater (USFET) on July 1, 1945, with its headquarters remaining at Frankfurt.
At the end of the war, the total U.S. Army strength in Europe was almost 1.9 million: two Army groups (6th and 12th), five field armies (First, Third, Seventh, Ninth and Fifteenth), 13 corps headquarters, and 62 combat divisions (43 infantry, 16 armor, and 3 airborne).
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